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Gymnasts pin blame on crowd, injuries
Source: AFP |
August 2, 2012, Thursday
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CHINA'S female gymnasts admitted they had allowed themselves to be put off by the partisan British crowd after failing to retain their Olympic team title in London on Tuesday.
The Chinese had hoped to hang on to the crown they won on home soil in Beijing four years ago but, after a disappointing day, they trailed in fourth, behind Romania, Russia and new champion the United States.
Sui Lu, who won gold on the balance beam at last year's World Championships, said China "did the best", but conceded they were unsettled by the raucous atmosphere inside the North Greenwich Arena.
"On the beam we felt a little nervous," she said. "I think the audience was very enthusiastic (for the British gymnasts) and we were affected by this. We really love the cheering but we are sometimes distracted by the noise. That is our own fault."
China finished with a middling total of 174.430 points - 1.984 points shy of third-placed Romania and over nine points adrift of the United States.
Injuries were a factor, with world beam silver-medallist Yao Jinnan dogged by a thigh problem, while He Kexin, reigning Olympic champion on the uneven bars, revealed she too had not been able to compete at full fitness.
"I got injured while I was in Great Britain so that might be one of the reasons why I didn't perform very well, but I will not give up," said He.
"Winning a gold medal is one of my dreams so I will try my best in the individual events."
Only on the uneven bars did China impress in the final, with a total score of 46.399 that was the highest of the day.
It was a different story elsewhere. China ranked fourth on the beam, fifth on the vault, and seventh - beating only Japan - on the floor.
He and many of her teammates dissolved into tears when it became apparent that they had lost out to Romania in the battle for third place, but Sui had an explanation for the fact that she did not appear to be crying. "Because the rest of the team is crying," she said, when asked why she had not wept. "And besides, if I cry, I will mess up my make-up."
The Chinese had hoped to hang on to the crown they won on home soil in Beijing four years ago but, after a disappointing day, they trailed in fourth, behind Romania, Russia and new champion the United States.
Sui Lu, who won gold on the balance beam at last year's World Championships, said China "did the best", but conceded they were unsettled by the raucous atmosphere inside the North Greenwich Arena.
"On the beam we felt a little nervous," she said. "I think the audience was very enthusiastic (for the British gymnasts) and we were affected by this. We really love the cheering but we are sometimes distracted by the noise. That is our own fault."
China finished with a middling total of 174.430 points - 1.984 points shy of third-placed Romania and over nine points adrift of the United States.
Injuries were a factor, with world beam silver-medallist Yao Jinnan dogged by a thigh problem, while He Kexin, reigning Olympic champion on the uneven bars, revealed she too had not been able to compete at full fitness.
"I got injured while I was in Great Britain so that might be one of the reasons why I didn't perform very well, but I will not give up," said He.
"Winning a gold medal is one of my dreams so I will try my best in the individual events."
Only on the uneven bars did China impress in the final, with a total score of 46.399 that was the highest of the day.
It was a different story elsewhere. China ranked fourth on the beam, fifth on the vault, and seventh - beating only Japan - on the floor.
He and many of her teammates dissolved into tears when it became apparent that they had lost out to Romania in the battle for third place, but Sui had an explanation for the fact that she did not appear to be crying. "Because the rest of the team is crying," she said, when asked why she had not wept. "And besides, if I cry, I will mess up my make-up."
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